Signal operators

patchflow uses different operators to mark different kinds of cables. The cable’s color — and whether it looks like a single strand or a bundle — is driven entirely by this operator.

The six operators

Operator	Signal type	Typical use
->	audio	Audio-rate signals (VCO → filter → VCA).
>>	cv	Slow control voltage (LFO → filter cutoff).
p>	pitch	1 V/oct pitch signal.
g>	gate	Gate (sustained ON/OFF).
t>	trigger	Trigger (momentary pulse).
c>	clock	Clock signal.

Every operator uses the same notation — the letter just changes the cable color and adds a small pill label on the cable when relevant.

- Osc (Out)       -> Filter (In)        // audio cable
- LFO (Out)       >> Filter (Cutoff)    // CV cable
- Keyboard (V/Oct) p> Osc (V/Oct)       // pitch cable
- Sequencer (Gate) g> Env (Gate)        // gate cable
- Clock (Trig)    t> Drum (Trig)        // trigger cable
- Clock (Out)     c> Sequencer (Clock)  // clock cable

Default cable colors

The default theme picks colors chosen to read distinctly in both light and dark modes — loosely following what you’d expect from a well-stocked cable bag.

• Audio — pink
• CV — blue
• Pitch — green
• Gate / Trigger / Clock — amber

See the Theming guide to override any of these.

Feedback edges

patchflow automatically detects cycles in your patch (e.g. the classic self-patched MATHS bouncing ball) and routes those cables on a separate “feedback” lane below the modules, so they don’t collide with the main signal flow.

You don’t need to mark a connection as feedback — it’s derived from the graph.

Why a taxonomy?

Color-coding cables by signal intent rather than by audio vs control lets the diagram carry more information without any extra ink:

• A reader can trace the “pitch spine” of a patch at a glance.
• Copy-pasting a subpatch keeps its semantic colors.
• You can grep the notation for p> to audit every pitch connection.

If your rig doesn’t care about the distinction, feel free to use -> and >> exclusively — the other operators are there when you want them.